I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You)
by Hawkflight7
Summary: Not a prince. Or even a knight. Just someone that would be kind to her, for once in her life. Slave!AU
1. Chapter 1

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - Prologue**

 **Summary: Not a prince. Or even a knight. Just someone that would be kind to her, for once in her life.**

 **So I finally couldn't put off writing this any longer even though I already have a million things I need to update. Stop flying at me plot bunnies! Those damn adorable ebil plot bunnies...**

 **Well, enjoy the bunny.**

Her hands slip along the yellow stalks of grass, wet with sweat after being outside for so long, with the sun beating down on her back. But the grass is dead, so she needs to pull it up to make way for new grass or possibly flowers. Whatever the people on the farm wish to plant here when she's done.

If she can manage to finish, that is.

Krista stares down in dismay as the brittle reeds slide from her hands again. Why? Why was this happening to her?

It was such a simple task. One she should have finished with an hour ago, but the heat... It was keeping her from doing even this. If her mother caught wind of this fact...

 _"You're so useless! This is what I get for carrying such a selfish brat for nine bloody months. You were a pain then too, you know? Never letting me get a second of sleep. But I put up with it, and for what? An ungrateful child that can't accomplish the simplest of tasks around the farm. I should've let you die in the cold after you were born!"_

She cringed at just the memories. Of all the times her mother had berated her for simply living.

 _"I was suppose to move up in the world when I had you! Did you know that? But your father won't even acknowledge that I had you, that you're here. He hasn't even come to see me once after I told him that I was carrying you inside of me!"_

Her shoulders dropped completely, her gaze only raising when she heard laughter on the other side of the fence.

"Again!" A pair of small hands were raised above field of flowers, and a man bent down to take them in his hands, a smile on his lips even though he looked so tired.

"Okay, my little hummingbird." The man's hands gripped the child from under the armpits. "Are you ready to fly?'

An enthusiastic yes turned into a shout of joy as the girl was raised in the air, the man spinning the both of them around. The child feet skimming the tops of the flowers as they were spun around in the air, laughing from the sheer exhilaration.

Krista ducked her head back down when the man's gaze flickered over the field of grass, perhaps seeing her blonde hair within the patch of dead grass. She peered out from the stalks, but his gaze didn't stray to the patch again, instead picking up the little girl over his head and running off in what she assumed to be the direction of their house.

She was stuck between a sigh of relief and disappointment. Where was her own father? Did he really not care about her like her mother said? He mustn't since she had never seen him. Had never played with him like that little girl had with her own father.

It had looked like a fun game, but she could never imagine her own mother playing it with her.

Every other child she saw was always telling their parents that they loved them before going out to play with others their own age. Others that weren't her. And their parents would also say those words, _"I love you."_ Without a single reason for doing so, except for them being their child.

While her own mother would spit venom at her, always shouting, _"I hate you!"_ in every possible way she could think up.

Why couldn't she have that? A normal family.

With a resigned sigh Krista wiped her hands on her already drenched tunic, going back to attempting to clear the dead grass.

When night finally fell, allowing for a soft breeze to caress her skin, she closed her eyes. It felt nice, soothing after the heat of the day. Plus she was nearly done. This was the last batch of dead grass she had to carry back to the farm, to be used as fertilizer or add to the horse's dwindling pile of hay.

A hand clasping on her shoulder made her eyes snap open, turning swiftly to meet the gaze of a man dressed in black, towering over her own small form. "You're Krista, right?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice sounding even softer next to his. So demanding, _loud_.

His lips twisted up into a grin that made an unpleasant shiver run down her spine. "Hey, Locke! I found her."

"You did?" Another man came out of the darkness of the night, standing alongside the other one and peering down at her. "She's rather young for our usual clients. How old are you, girl?"

"Seven." But why was that important? And what did he mean by clients?

This man, Locke, let out a snort. "I can't believe you made me agree to this. They won't ever buy her."

"Why not? She's cute for her age." The unnamed man pulled at a strand of her blonde hair as he said this, causing her to flinch. "It'll be much easier to train her for whatever they want at this age, as well. I'm sure you can find a buyer. I mean, her mother _did_ pay us to find someone that would take her. Not doing this would just be bad business sense. Besides, if you can't find a buyer I will."

"Then you sell her. But I'm keeping her mother's money."

"Sure, sure. Just don't come crying to me when you realize what a deal you walked off on."

A snort followed those words. "Let's just get her out of here, then."

"Come on, little lady." His hand descended from her hair to wrap around her hand. "I'm going to find you a new home."

 _What?_ "Who are you? How do you know my mother?"

His mouth split into an open grin. "My name's Cato. I became friends with your mother when she gave Locke that pouch of money to take you off her hands."


	2. Chapter 2

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 1**

 **We will be in what I call, Dark Land for a bit.**

 **Warning for: underage sexual content (non-explicit)**

She didn't know how long she had been shrouded in darkness, not too long, but from the sounds of people walking by it had to be morning now. So she could deduce that she had been stuck in this sack for the rest of the night, following Cato and Locke taking her from the farm.

Cato had stuck her in the sack back then, telling her to stay still and not make a sound. There were no added words, like, _"Or else."_ that she had heard plenty of times from her mother. But there had been a certain edge to his voice, that suggested if she didn't do as told she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Even now that she was tucked away between two barrels filled with who knew what - maybe other children for all she knew. Krista couldn't help but tremble when she heard his voice, sounding so chipper as he walked alongside the cart she was being carried in. Under the pretense that her sack was filled with rice, the barrels with apples - if that was even the truth.

The men at the gate seemed to think it was. They had even checked the barrel to her right before letting them through, out of Sina and into another city beyond it.

The city she was now in, with a name she didn't recognize. But her mother had never taught her about the other towns and cities. Everything she knew was something she had overheard being talked about rather than explicitly told.

So she might as well be in the middle of nowhere.

"I'll take it from here," she could hear Cato tell Locke as the cart rolled to a stop on the loose pebble-stones below.

"Okay, then. I'll see you at the pub so we can start an actual shipment to the usual customers." Locke replied, and then she could hear his rather distinct footsteps wandering off in another direction.

The cart started moving again after a moment, wood scraping over wood being the only indicator that Cato must have opened a door of some kind. Then the cart went silent as it met the floorboards, rolling off the street and into a building. The doors closed with a rather loud _click_ behind them when the cart came to a stop once again.

"Come on, Krista." She heard Cato just before she felt hands pressed along the edges of the sack, moving further in until one hand came into contact with her arm through the rough fabric, the other pressing against her thigh. He lifted her up in the next instant, taking her off of the cart to collide with what she presumed to be his chest as he walked further into the building.

There was the sounds of more doors opening and closing and - her blood ran cold - there was scratching beyond one of the doors they must have passed. Further down the hall she could hear a muted wailing coming from behind another. Fists colliding with stone and wood...

Krista went to wrench her arm from Cato, but his grip tightened the moment she moved. "Don't even try it. In case you forgot, you haven't even seen the route I took and you won't be able to run without getting out of this sack first." She could feel her body sway as he came to a stop, the sound of another door opening then closing behind her, echoing in her ears.

Cato placed her on the ground then and she quickly scrambled out from the sack, eyes flickering around her, but she didn't see anyone else besides her and Cato. The source of all those horrible sounds, crys for release; not a single one had come from this room. It was barren, of anything really, besides the sack she had come in.

"You have no chance of getting out of here, you hear me? Not without your new master."

Krista stopped in her search to find an exit of some kind - a window, maybe - something besides the door, to turn and stare up at him. "Master?" What was he talking about? Why had he taken her from the farm? Surely if her mother wanted her taken away they would just need to do that one thing: take her away. So why was she here? In what appeared to be a warehouse of sorts.

She had so many questions, but not a one had been answered the whole way here. Just more and more of them had been pestering her for hours on end, making it near impossible for her to fall asleep during the trip.

 _What_ _did he want from her?_

"Yes, your master. The person you'll be serving for as long as they hold your contract," Cato elaborated after a second's pause. "Now be a good girl while I go and see who's interested in you."

Cato was out of the door in the next moment. She could hear a bolt slide into place, confirming that it would be futile to try the door.

With no other way out she scooted backward until her back met the wall, maneuvering her body into a corner shortly afterward. Krista drew her knees up, as if they could protect her from whatever came through that door with Cato.

As time crept by she kept her eyes on the door, listening to the hollow shouts through the walls: begging to be taken home, wondering where their parents or siblings were, some demanding to be let go, others making threats to call for the authorities. Those that yelled about the latter were quickly quieted and she could only guess what had happened to perform such a feat.

Just as her eyes were beginning to close the door swung open, the creaking of the wood alerting her first, making her raise her head quickly to see Cato standing in the doorway, along with some men she didn't recognize. "Here she is. Her name is Krista."

"Krista, hmm?" One said peering at her as she drew her legs up further, attempting to sink through the wall and out of their collective sight. "Not a bad specimen."

"'Not bad.' Is that all you got to say, Heskel?" Another one asked, laughing at the other's choice of words. "She's young and beautiful. Plus she has that lovely blonde hair. What isn't there to love?"

"As if you mean to love her," Heskel retorted. "I believe the proper phrase would be to _fuck_ her." Heskel turned his gaze away from the man to settle on her once more, licking his lips. "That's the only way to take a small cowering animal." The other man chuckled at that. "Hey, Cato. Does she sound as beautiful as she looks? Or is her voice more like that of a dying cat?"

Cato didn't even look at the man, just addressed her within the next second, "One of these men is going be your master, Krista. Remember when I told you about your new life?"

Her heart practically leapt into her throat when he spoke, making it impossible for her to speak, but she managed to nod her head to confirm his words. Cato took a few steps into the room, toward her, making her heart beat even louder in her ears as her eyes widened. The wall her legs formed was looking even more futile as he came closer.

"No, no. When you answer a question you're to use your voice, not some simple body motion. They want to hear your voice so they know their getting their money's worth. So," Cato stopped in front of her, crouching down for his hands to strike out in the next second, gripping her knees and pushing them _down_. "Answer the question properly next time," Cato hissed, just as a gasp left her lips.

A flare of pain shot up and down her legs once the back of her knees hit the floor, legs now sprawled out in front of her. Her protective wall knocked down.

"Do you understand?"

At Cato's question she swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in her throat, so she could speak, "I understand."

"Good." Cato smiled then, turning to face the three buyers. "Satisfied?"

"She even _sounds_ tiny," the second one remarked.

"How did you come to possess her?" Heskel asked.

"I bought her off a farm."

"Really? A pretty thing like that came from a farm? Good thing you got her out of there. It would have been a complete waste to keep such a morsel in a place like that. Nobody would be able get a good look at her if she was covered in dirt or whatever it is she used to do. Not to mention the lucky bastard that would have married her when she got older."

The one that had spoken before snickered. "Waiting for her to grow up and out of her prime? That lucky fellow you speak of likes them older, I assume?"

"You disagree with my make believe fellow, Damon?" Heskel questioned his companion.

"No, I'm sure she'll be beautiful later in life as well. It's just waiting that long and missing out on her _now_ ; that would be a waste."

"Agreed," Heskel said with a laugh. "How's seven hundred sound?"

The question was clearly directed at Cato as he was grinning now. "That's a bit close to the normal price for my usual stock. Krista here is unique. If you want her you'll need to cough up more than that."

"A thousand, then?" Damon asked, one corner of his lip quirked up.

Heskel let out a snort before giving another offer, "Fourteen hundred."

"What about you, Vossler? Or are you no longer interested in my Krista?" Cato asked, eyeing the last man that had yet to speak.

He had just been staring at her the whole time, not joining once in the conversation. She found his gaze unsettling. This Vossler had been looking at her differently than the others, his intentions for her unclear. "Three thousand," Vossler offered, his voice grating to her ears.

She glanced to Cato to see him grinning and reached out to clasp onto his arm, to beg with her eyes not to sell her to _him_ of the three. But then his next word rung in her ears, "Sold." Her fingers lost their grip, falling from his arm to hang limp at her side.

This couldn't be what her mother had intended when she sold her own daughter to this man, was it? What sort of people were these to sell _her_ like a common goat?

Haskel and Damon simply left the room after this announcement, not looking as upset as she thought they would. Vossler had outbid them after all. Shouldn't they be even the least bit frustrated at him?

"Did you want her now or delivered later?"

"I would like to see what I paid for first. She's going to entertain my guests, you understand. So if you could show me how she performs now that would be excellent."

"Now?" Cato was smirking when he said the word, so he clearly didn't mind the request. Even so his next words confirmed it for her, like a punch to the gut. "Of course."

She stared at him with wide eyes when he turned to face her, chuckling under his breath. "It seems I get to be your first."

"First?" What was he talking about? She didn't understand.

Her confusion only grew when his hands tugged her pants down and off her body, along with her underwear; that was now hanging from one ankle as Cato dragged her from out of the corner and into the center of the room. The closing of the door made her gaze flicker to Vossler, before turning back to Cato as he climbed on top of her.

There was something poking into her thigh and it took her a moment to notice that he had lowered his own pants a bit, so they were halfway down his own thighs. What was he doing? "Cato?" her voice shook when she spoke.

He only smiled at her, though. "Be a dear and put on a good show for your new master." Cato brushed a strand of hair from her face when he spoke, hand lingering on her cheek.

"Show?" she muttered, just before a scream tore up her throat as something pressed inside her. Something that seemed to rip her insides apart, pain flaring out from her stomach to envelop her whole body as she continued to scream, tears slipping down her cheeks.

When it moved within her, somehow her voice got louder. Somehow the pain became worse as her vision swam. She couldn't tell if it was from her tears or not, Krista was only aware of the pain intensifying whenever Cato moved above her, groaning with each movement.

Then the scene shattered before her eyes and she found herself soaked in a sweat-covered sheet, clinging to it as she sat up, breathing heavily as she stared at a blank wall across from her bed. If it could even be called a bed.

There was a heavy knock on her door and her vision spun when she turned to face it. "Yes, master?" she asked, because it could only be one person at this time in the morning.

"I'm having a party tonight, get the place prepared and then get yourself prepared. I have quite a few friends that want to try you out, Krista." Vossler's words twisted into her skin like a knife.

He was going to make her do it again. That thing Cato had done with her. He was going to let these guests of his do it to her. _Again._


	3. Chapter 3

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 2**

 **Warning for everything in this chapter. Every punch will go through and hit its target. I am not responsible for the emotional wreck you may become after reading this. You've been warned.**

Her teeth dug into her bottom lip as she fought to keep herself from cringing as she stretched up onto her tiptoes, running the duster over the top of a bookcase. Krista's body was practically trembling from the pressure just below her stomach, sending up little sparks of pain that made her want to cry out - when she wasn't just feeling the discomfort of the situation.

Vossler had hardly moved after from his chair where he watched her progress. Not that he was the least bit interested in her dusting, no he was here for another of his sick pleasures. All of which seemed to involve putting her through pain; up until today that is.

Her thirteenth birthday had just passed yesterday. The only way she knew was because of the calendar in the kitchens. It's not like she got anything when the day had arrived, except the unexpected surprise that she wouldn't be the entertainment for the night. She soon learned it was because Vossler believed her to be too old for that particular group, that he would be having her entertain a different group, one that came less frequently - thankfully.

Or she had been thankful until this morning: when he had grabbed her by the hair while she was sleeping, dragging her from her room and down the hall to this one, handing her the duster and setting her to work immediately; without any food or water, without allowing her to relieve herself first.

She could tell he was getting a kick out of it because of that grin she caught in the mirror. It was a simple reminder if nothing else, that no matter how old she got he would find a new use for her. He would find a way to amuse himself, if he couldn't see her in pain he would find other ways, much more humiliating ways to get what he wanted.

Whatever that was.

He was her master, so of course he had power over her, but he seemed to flaunt it. Vossler would push her further with each shove, closer to whatever current goal he had in mind. She was positive at this point that that goal was to humiliate her.

Why else would he demand another of his slaves to watch her when he had to go and take care of something for a moment before coming back into the room and dismissing them? He clearly didn't trust her not to make a run for the bathroom when he was gone for those moments, not that she would trust herself on that matter either.

It was only his gaze - that still made the hairs on the back of her neck rise - that kept her where she was. The threat that he would do worse than simply take away such a basic human privilege if she disobeyed him.

"You're going on fourteen hours now. I'm impressed Krista, but how much longer can you possibly hold it in? You must be in terrible pain from doing it for so long now." She could hear the grin in his words and had to stop her body from trembling, from giving into it's one desire: to stop the pain in her abdomen.

"It hurts, master," she tells him, knowing it's what he wants to hear. Not that she's fine, that she can take it. He didn't react well to those words in the past and she hasn't uttered them since. He wants the truth, so she gives it to him, "I feel like I'm going to burst."

His laughter assaults her ears. "Is that so? Well then, I'll only make you hold it a bit longer. How does that sound?"

"I'll do my best to please you, master." Krista goes on dusting, trying to ignore his laughter from behind her. To ignore the loud squeak from the abused chair when he gets up, the heavy foot falls coming her way.

When his hands rest on her hips a shiver runs down her spine. The feeling of discomfort increases when his fingers slide over her stomach, beginning to press down on the skin, intensifying the burn in her nether regions.

A tear slips down her cheek when she feels her body tremble in response.

She was use to his other punishments, not _this_. Being used by those men, she could handle it now. It wasn't something she was proud to even think of, but if he asked her she could do it. Scream at all the appropriate times, beg for the man to stop, that it hurt, hurt oh so much, that there was no way she could take a man of his size - length. They liked that, they would laugh and continue to use her, pressing sloppy kisses to her neck, sucking upon marks left by one of the other men. And in those calm moments she would let her mind slip, fade away so that she was only a body, designed to react to the man's touch and voice. So she could forget where she was for just a moment and then slip back before Vossler noticed her absence.

He isn't allowing for her to slip away now, his warm breath hitting one of her shoulders, growing slightly erratic from excitement as he presses harder against her abdomen. "What about now?"

Krista bites her lip to stop a cry from falling from her lips the moment the duster falls from her hand.

She should of known he wouldn't let her hold out like this, until he became bored with the game. Vossler always gets what he wants, when he wants it. He was giving her hope that she could get away unscathed and now he's squeezing her, giving her no choice. Because she can't control her body any longer.

Krista can feel warm liquid trickling down her thigh and she grits her teeth in an effort to keep the rest in. She doesn't want to give him the pleasure of winning, but at the same time she knows she can't win. It's futile; and he's rubbing her face in that fact. No matter what she does her position here will never change. She'll always be his favorite toy, with blonde hair the whores he beds would die for, blue eyes that glisten with tears at his command, a pale thin body that he feeds only enough so she doesn't look sickly, an unwelcome gift to his guests; so she remains _tiny_.

He's said it before, how much he loves that she looks like a child. That any other slave he would have had to stop giving to those particular guests at age nine, but how she stuck it out for three more years.

She hates him. Krista wants to wrap her hands around his throat as he presses more insistently against the thin cloth that hides her body from his eyes now. It's just a simple gown, dark enough so it's not see-through, but clings to her in such a way that it doesn't matter. She wants to run away, to able to, but he'll never let her contract go. He's never going to sell her to anyone else. He'll keep her here until the day she dies, putting her through hell and worse before that time.

It makes her dream of that day. It makes her want to _die_.

Her eyes had slipped close moments ago from the pain of holding everything in, but now they're open, wide, and she can't find the will to breathe for those few moments that her heart is hammering away in her chest. This is what he wants. And she's giving it to him on a silver platter.

She raises one leg to press against the bookcase, to push off and slam back against him, earning a growl when his hands slip from around her midsection. Even without the pressure now she can't stop the liquid from escaping the confines of her body, she can feel it running freely down her legs, droplets landing on the floor beneath her, but she can't find it in her to care. His current goal is nothing compared to the long-term one and refuses to ever have such a thought again. She will never _want_ to die again. She can't allow him to take that one power she holds away from her.

Even so she feels his hands wrap around her once again as a curse fills the air, feels her body go flying through it in the next second to hit the floor on the opposite end of the room. It leaves her gasping, trying to catch her breath as he walks over too fast, too fast for her to get up and run.

He's wrapping her hair around his fist, telling her to get on her hands and knees or else... or else... "Do it, now!" A kick makes her head twist to the side, the rest of her body turns to when it hits her chest, but his grip on her doesn't allow for her head to turn fully and she's left in more than just an uncomfortable position.

It feels like her neck will snap if he kicks her again or even twists his hand in the right direction too fast and she lets out a scream. One filled with frustration, anguish, because she can't let him win. She _can't_ , but if she doesn't she'll die and he'll have what he wants.

She lets the tears spill from her cheeks as a sob sends a tremor through her body. "I'm sorry, master! I'm _sorry_! I slipped because it hurt too much! Please! You're hurting me! Let go! _LET GO!_ " Her voice rises to an unfathomable degree, spun further from the hysteria, the pure _terror_ that has captured her body. She can't die here. Not after everything she's survived. She just can't. " _MASTER, PLEASE!_ "

Her cheeks are slick from tears when he lets her hair go and she presses her forehead against the floor, to get that part of her body as far from him as possible. Everything is shaking, tremors still racking through her body as she gasps in air after being let go, sending up silent _thank yous_ to whatever deity will listen. She tries to regain some control over her body, but it's not working. Her arms and legs are trembling, unable to move and when he speaks a small cry escapes her, soaking into the wood floor beneath her.

"Raise your ass you ungrateful brat." Somehow she manages to move her legs beneath her body, to push her lower half up, fresh tears running down her face. Just what did he want from her now? "I want you to beg for me to hit you _here_ ," as he says the words his hand presses against her ass, leaving little imagination to his meaning. "Or you're going to clean up the mess you just made, with your tongue. Got it?"

She squeezes her eyes shut, thankful that he can't see her doing so from his angle and mutters the words, "I understand, master." Her throat clenches around the following word, but she forces it out, because the mere _idea_ of licking up her own urine makes her sick to her stomach; more so than what he has just asked her to do. "Please, master, hit me."

The growl above confirms that he's not satisfied with her performance, his hand striking against her bare ass amplifies his own displeasure. It sends her careening into the floor, the pain practically splitting her skull in two. "I told you to _beg_ for it, Krista."

With a sniff she rights herself into the same position from before he hit her, mind spinning as she raises her arms to place in front of her, so she won't hit the floor like that again. So he doesn't have to ask for her to remain still while he hits her. "Hit me harder, master, please. I hardly felt that one. You _have_ to hit me harder."

A hand presses against her back and she has to repress a shiver of disgust - not that he would be able to tell the difference, she's trembling already as it is. "There's my Krista."

His hand falls onto her ass once again, rocking her body forward before she's able to slide back into position after a piercing cry leaves her lips. She swallows down a lump of air just before his hand hit her a third time, driving a scream from her lips, "Master! Please! It's not enough! Hit me again, please!"

It's his laughter that shakes her to the core; not his hand, not the sting it leaves on her ass along with the bright red mark that accompanies it for weeks afterward.

 **Any and all feedback is appreciated. I will even give you a hug.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 3**

 **You think I'm cruel, don't you?**

The room is bustling with people: masters and their slaves, high rollers, anyone invested in the Underground. Anyone that could get an invitation to such a gathering. One where slaves could openly wear collars and other objects that told one at a glance that they were property and were to be treated as such. If one could get permission from their owner that is.

She was surprised that Vossler hadn't done such a thing yet, but he seemed content sitting back in his chair for now, talking to a group of masters that were eyeing her like a piece of cake. For whatever reason he wasn't encouraging them to lift up her short dress; to see she wore nothing underneath.

Maybe it was because he wasn't holding the event, because this wasn't about him torturing her as he usually favored. But it was simply those gazes he was concerned with, sliding over her body, figuring out the exact shape underneath her dress. He could be planning to invite this group for the next time he held one of his own parties, to watch them fuck her like all the rest.

Yes, that seemed to be it. She was just something for them to stare at, for the other masters to be envious of. An object of high value in Vossler's collection, a man that was known to share his pets with those that simply asked. Unless - on the extremely rare case - that he hated a person.

If she could just wrap her fingers around his throat like he had done to her so many times, make him beg for her not to squeeze just _that_ much tighter.

It was only about a minute later that she realized she had been staring at Vossler's neck, that he had seen where her gaze was. The corners of his lips twitched up when her gaze shifted an instant later and she had to silently assure herself that he wouldn't do anything rash in front of all these people. Surely doing anything like he did in his own property wouldn't be seen as proper etiquette here? At a gathering like this.

He probably wasn't ever going to let her come back to one of these if he saw that spark of relief in her eyes when he simply motioned her over to him. If he knew that this place actually made her feel safe for even a moment. "Yes, master?" she asked, keeping her expression fixed into that frightened wondrous look that he seemed to be enjoying for the past hour.

"Krista, why don't you go to the refreshment table and get me something to drink? It's right down the hall there, in the room to the right. Remember your manners." Vossler had phrased the command like a question, but she knew better than to ask if it was or not. To ask what exactly he wanted. He would be having the same bottled alcohol that he had at the house.

She inclined her head toward him, a small bow that didn't require her to get on her hands and knees. He couldn't possibly ask her to do that here, could he? "Yes, master. I'll be back with your drink soon."

The moment she turned away she knew he wouldn't be in that exact seat when she got back. He would move and make her wander around aimlessly to find him, to interact with the other masters, not their slaves. Never their slaves. She wasn't suppose to talk to them unless circumstances were dire - whatever that meant, maybe if she was in a life or death situation; Vossler had probably just said that as a joke on the road here.

Right, just another of his sick jokes. So she should avoid talking to another slave at all costs.

She just needed to watch her tongue, then; make sure she didn't mess up the proper etiquette when talking to another master. Anyone that didn't have a collar or otherwise around their neck - or any other body part.

Vossler had told her how to behave the whole way here, periodically quizzing her on what he had just said a minute or even ten minutes ago to make sure the rules had been pounded into her skull. She could recall each lesson clearly even now, having recited the words back to him so often - the trip had lasted an hour.

 _"All male masters are to be referred to as, sir. You will address any mistresses as, madam. Got that? No other terms are to be used. I am the only one you call, Master. Is that clear? Good. Very good._

 _"Now, I don't need to tell you not to give your name to any of these people when introducing yourself, do I? Your mine and that's all they need to know. I will use your name when I want you to do something. If anyone else ends up using your name after learning it when I use it you are not to do what they ask of you. You say, 'I'm sorry, but I don't have permission from my master to do that.' And then follow up with, 'If it pleases you I can ask my master for permission to do that.' You will only fulfill their request if I've given you permission. And by permission I mean the actual words, 'You have my permission to do whatever that Master is asking of you.' Not a nod of the head or anything else obscure that's meant for someone else when I'm talking. You enter the building with me and you leave with me. No exceptions._

 _"I expect you to be on your best behavior, Krista. In the case that another slave is trying to talk or interact with you I want you to bring the matter up with their master. I can assure you that no slave at this gathering is to talk to another without explicit permission from their Master. Which goes for you as well. I don't want you talking to another slave, got it? 'Yes, yes.' Is that all you know how to say? Do I need to breathe some life into you? Breshka, add some color to her cheeks for Maria's sake._

 _"I know you're still in there, Krista. If I didn't do you think you would be here now? Oh, never mind. Just know that if you break any of these rules I'm loaning you to the whorehouse for a week and that I won't be there to stop them from fucking you properly. You have no idea how lucky you are."_

She wanted to spit on him. Lucky? She was no such thing. Especially if she broke one of those rules - if he learned of it. No, no. That wasn't the way to think. She couldn't afford to break any of his rules and besides, he had said that all slaves here had been told the same thing. That they were all following the same rules so if she stepped even a toe out of line and another slave saw her he would learn of it from their Master. Maybe not right away, but he would know. And then he... he would loan her.

Her lip nearly split open when she bit down on the flesh that had been painted a bright pink with the lipstick Breshka had used on them. Breshka had used many contents from bottles - some a thin mist, others an almost oily substance, among a few - on her skin and hair, especially her face. Vossler had said it was to make her more _appetizing_ to the others that would be at the gathering.

She wished she could rub it off or that another slave would mess up in their duties, like trip and throw a drink onto her face so she would have a sufficient excuse to rub it all off. So she wouldn't feel so many gazes on her, so their eyes didn't make her feel so _dirty_.

Sending another prayer up to Maria didn't help in the least of course. The Goddesses never answered her prayers.

As she turned the corner to the room with the refreshments, barely holding in a huff, she noticed the person in front of her too late. She yelped the instant she landed sprawled out on the floor, a flare of pain running up and down her spine. And she heard a curse a second later from above her, eyes snapping open to see a man pressed against the wall glaring down at her with a pair of daggers.

The apology that had been on her lips a second ago now died there as she stared up at him. She didn't bother looking for a collar or anything else that would signify a slave. There was no way someone using _that_ tone just now could be a slave.

"-has got to be the most clumsy slave I've ever met." He paused in his scolding of her, staring right back at her for a few seconds before demanding, "Are you going to say sorry or not? What's your name? Speak before I have to check if you even have a tongue."

Her throat closed up for a second at his words, so harsh against her ears, but quickly managed a, "Sorry, sir. It's my fault-"

"I'm aware of who's fault it is. What the hell is your name?" He pushed off from the wall, now standing without it's support as he gazed down at her, with eyes that consisted of a steely gray.. His hair was black, in a cut that Breshka had referred to as an undercut and even though he appeared to be only an inch or two taller than her it didn't stop a shiver from running down her spine. Was he going to tell Vossler of this mishap? Had anyone else seen it?

She had to force herself not to check if anyone else was in the vicinity and slowly got up to her feet. "I am Vossler's pet."

The man let out a snort at these words, his glare only cutting deeper into her. "I didn't ask who your owner was. I asked for your name."

Her heart clenched as she ran Vossler's words through her mind once again. He hadn't told her what to do when anyone that wasn't a slave asked her - no, demanded her - to give her name. Well, if he hadn't told her what to do he couldn't be angry with her, could he? He wouldn't be able to loan her out to anyone.

She took a deep breath before answering the man's question. "My name is Krista."

"Hmph." His gaze finally moved from her and her body nearly collapsed back to the ground from relief. "Is there a specific reason why you had to run into me with such a disgusting look on your face?"

Her breathing came fast. What... what disgusting look? She checked that her features were still twisted into that feature that Vossler had adored. It was. "I didn't-"

Before she could stop herself from questioning him he cut in, "Oh, shut up. Go do whatever you were told to do." The man stepped around her, walking briskly down the hall in the next second, eyes narrowed.

Krista stared after him, hoping he didn't intend to find and tell Vossler what had just happened. This was the punishment she received for her prayer.

She retrieved the drink Vossler had asked for, spending about an hour wandering the halls and rooms, asking for help at nearly every corner as the time dragged on. When she finally located Vossler at the card tables she practically ran there, thinking he might disappear in the next second and that she would have to spend another hour searching before even catching a glimpse of him.

When she placed the drink on the table he just glanced to her before waving her away with a grin and a laugh, commenting to the other players at the table how it took an hour for his own slave to locate him. Krista just stepped back as her cheeks grew warm, forcing her eyes not to lower to the floor at his words. He was drunk and she didn't want to risk angering him now. Vossler was hardly a threat to any slave when he was drunk, but somehow he always found out what his slaves did when they thought he wouldn't catch them.

So she saw _him_ clearly, sitting at that table, giving her one sweep of his eyes before looking back at the cards in his hands. Her heart nearly stopped beating right there.

He had told Vossler about her.


	5. Chapter 5

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 4**

 **Happy now?**

Originally she had planned on sleeping in, but Vossler's angry shouts were filling the whole house as he yelled at who she guessed to be a friend who participated in finding people to buy and sell. She found the angrier he got the wider her grin grew.

His face had to be red, there had to be sweat rolling down him in waves. She wished she could see it, but if he noticed the way her lips were currently quirked up he was likely to take out his anger on her. Along with any other slave in the vicinity, just because they were there.

That had to why the rest of the house was so quiet. Everyone else had to be hiding, unless he had already found a slave to beat up since he couldn't very well hit the person he was currently talking too.

"How can you not have a single idea on how to get it back?" Vossler yelled, and she thought she heard his fist connect with a mirror. Better the mirror than any of them. "Go steal it from him if you can't forge it! That's what he did!"

It was much harder to hear the other man and Krista crawled across the floor to wrap her hand around the door knob and pull it open just a crack, so she could hear the two of them more clearly. Moments like these were few and far inbetween and she planned to enjoy Vossler's frustration to the fullest. "-You know that's not true. He has every illegal claim to her. Just calm down, Vossler."

She turned her head so her ear was directly against the crack, the wood of the door cold against the ridges of her ear canal. "C-calm down," Vossler spluttered. "If that's the only advice you have for me then get the hell out of my house, Cato!"

The grin slipped from her lips momentarily at hearing that name, but then Vossler's angry yells brought it right back to her face. She could care less if the man that had sold her - the first one to use her - was even a foot near her; Cato wasn't going to spoil this for her. Though, she wished she had been awake to hear the beginnings of the conversation so she knew what their conversation was pertaining too; and just who _her_ was. It would make this so much more enjoyable if she knew. She couldn't even remember the last time her facial muscles had been used in this manner, it actually made her feel a bit sore; but she would keep grinning anyway.

"It's not. I... I just don't know what else you can do that we haven't already tried. He doesn't seem interested in switching out the contract for any other of your slaves. I've tried everything I could to dissuade him from keeping it, but he seems hell bent on it. Maybe if you weren't so upset about it he would change his mind, but at this point he would know it's an act so there's no point doing that."

"Are you saying he's doing this just to spite me?" Vossler's tone raised in anger, though she didn't know if it was at Cato or this man that had dared to anger him.

"Of course not. I'm just trying to help you find a way to get her contract back... Vossler?"

"That little brat. She did something."

"Who..." She could hear heavy footfalls on the floorboards as Vossler stepped from his study, they were getting louder with each passing second and she found her blood run cold. He had seen the open door; she should have hid like all the other slaves. Krista began backing away from the door, but she knew that even if she faked sleep he wouldn't care if she said the door had come loose or any number of excuses she could use on a 'good' day. "Vossler?"

Cato's voice filled her ears just before the door was swung open, torn off it's old loose hinges to bang into the wall. Vossler crossed the distance to her quickly, a hand coiling into her hair and she couldn't help the scream that ripped up her throat as he dragged her from the room, down the hall into his study to throw her against the floor boards.

"Here's an idea for you, Cato. I pulverize her until she's black and blue all over and then we'll see if he still wants to keep her contract."

Cato didn't say anything, not that she would have noticed if he did.

Did Vossler just say he didn't have her contract? She glanced up from the floor to look at him, seeing the twist of his features wasn't enough, though. "Who has my contract?" Krista wasn't afraid to ask; what could he possibly do to her? He didn't hold her contract, he couldn't tell her what to do in anymore. She didn't have to do a single thing he told her anymore. Cato had said it himself all those years ago. That whoever held her contract was her master and that she had to obey him, do whatever he asked. And Vossler was no longer her master. She could feel something bubbling up in her chest, but she couldn't identify it.

"Like you don't know!" His leg connected with her chest in the next second, but it wasn't nearly as hard as it could be. He couldn't even touch her or else he risked angering her new master, whoever that was.

Her heart was fluttering away in her chest when Cato spoke, "She clearly doesn't, Vossler. How could she? You were drunk when you threw her contract into the pot. Let me deliver her to him, maybe with her present I can convince him otherwise..."

The rest of the words quickly faded to the back of her mind. Put her contract into the pile? He was drunk? The gathering. He had been gambling in that card room for hours. When had he placed her contract down? She could have gone home with her new master instead of going back with Vossler. All those rules she was suppose to follow... she could have broken every single one and Vossler wouldn't have been able to touch her! He would have been too drunk to even think to hit her if he had noticed it last night. Drunk...

"Hah," a bubble popped in her mouth as she stared up at Vossler, lips twisting up at the corners as more bubbles came pouring from her mouth: the sound that filled her ears was loud, echoing all around her, bouncing off the walls to make her laughter even louder; until it was filling the whole house.

She saw Vossler's fingers twitch just before they curled into a fist and slammed against her shoulder, pushing her back into the floor, but she hardly felt the flare of pain that traveled through her body. The pain that was blossoming out from her gut when he hit her again, causing a scream up her throat to twist and warp into more laughter as he continued to pound her with his fists, delivering a swift kick seconds later.

"Vossler!" Cato's arms were around the man's mid-section, trying to restrain him, pulling him back so Vossler missed his intended mark, his boot slicing a cut in her cheek instead of connecting with her skull. Even as the blood dribbled down her face she couldn't stop the bubbles from rising within her. That feeling within her was too good, just _too_ much for her to care if he continued to hit her or not.

He didn't own her anymore. How could she care about anything else when she heard that?

"Virmeo! Breshka! Talia! Get in here now and take Vossler to his room before he kills Krista!"

Just as she saw Virmeo - Vossler's guard slave - every hulking bit of him squeeze through the door to grab Vossler, her old master shouted angrily as he was taken from the room, "You'll be begging me to take you back, you dirty little cunt! Don't think because I don't own you that your next master will treat you any differently!"

Krista's throat closed, cutting off her laughter suddenly as she stared up at where Vossler had been just a moment ago. Oh, Maria... _who_ actually had her contract? Was it possible for them to be worse than Vossler? Of course, of course it was.

Whatever joy she had felt seeped into the floor beneath her, drained from her body completely in seconds. Her eyes turned slowly to focus on Cato, who was currently scratching something into a paper on Vossler's desk with a pen; she forced her throat open, "Who is he?"

"His name is Levi." Cato tore the paper from the booklet he had grabbed, shoving the piece into her face. "That's the address. Go there now before Vossler comes back. He holds your contract now, that means you do what he says. Remember what I told you?"

"Yes," her voice suddenly sounded hollow in her ears; her throat hurt.

Krista reached up to brush her fingers along the hollow of her throat, trying to soothe the sore flesh before pushing herself up from the ground a moment later. She drew the piece of paper closer to her, looking down at the letters scrawled on the page; she didn't recognize the words, the area code. At least he didn't live near Vossler then, but that didn't mean she could stay hidden from his rage forever. What had caused her to laugh at him?

She clutched the torn paper to her chest, walking swiftly out of the room and down a narrow hall to slip out the back of the house, into an alley. Her feet carried her forward even though she felt like collapsing. Vossler may not own her, but she was still owned. She was still a slave and she didn't even want to start thinking about what her new master might do to her, but already her mind was drawing up the image of some grotesque man. Every single thing Vossler had done to her for nearly eleven years was running through her mind, changing to have this image of her new master present and those images were twisting into something worse.

Krista held back a sob as she stepped into the street, running a hand along her cheek to only stop and stare at the bright slash of red now on her hand. Vossler had never cut her before, not intentionally or otherwise, something about not wanting to ruin her pretty face. What if her new master wasn't above that, though? Would he be mad if she took too long getting to his place of residence?

Her breath came fast and she had to stop the frantic beating of her heart, squeeze her eyes shut for just a moment before sprinting forward down the street. If this man - Levi - had gotten her contract last night then she couldn't take her time getting there, because she should have been there hours ago; she should have been there last night. Oh Maria, what was he going to do to her?

She tugged at the shirt of the first woman she saw that was setting up a stall for the morning market. "Do you know where this is?" Krista asked, showing her the paper.

The woman didn't say anything for a moment, fingers stopping in their movements for a second before resuming what they had been doing. "It's at the edge of the Maria District, to the west. The Yingle road goes right to that street, it's just over to the right."

"Thank you," Krista said before turning away once she had all the information she needed, letting the woman speak a few more words to the air as she took off running once again.

She must have spent an hour running down that road, jagged edges of the rock cutting into the soles of her feet as she ran, before coming upon the street that was written on the paper. Krista took a few moments determining from the numbers on the buildings which direction to go next, walking much slower down the path this time. She kept looking at those numbers as she passed by the houses, glancing down to the paper she held every other second to make sure she hadn't passed it.

It was ten minutes later that she stopped in front of one of the houses, staring at the pair of stone steps leading up to the door. She took a breath before climbing up them to knock on the door, not trusting herself to speak at the moment.

For a minute it was silent and then she heard the lock on the door being released, saw the handle turn and the door open. Her eyes widened upon seeing the same man from that gathering. The one she had run into. Oh... no, no. Her teeth dug into her lower lip before she could stop herself. Had he refused to let go of her contract because he wanted to punish her himself after recognizing her name?

But then again... maybe it wasn't him. Maybe he was just visiting her new master or lived in the same house... She clung to that hope and asked, "Are you Levi?"

His lips only pinched together in response to her question as he continued to gaze at her silently. For those seconds before he spoke she wasn't sure if she was wishing that in her current state he wouldn't be interested in keeping her contract anymore or that he might take pity on her. Surely she could find a master that wouldn't be like Vossler?

"Remove that gown and anything else you're wearing."

Krista couldn't find a thing to say at such a demand. He must be her master to say such a thing. Though, from the tone of his voice he already knew she didn't have anything underneath the gown. She found her gaze flickering along the street, checking it was empty before pulling the gown up and over her body, holding it along with the paper against her chest.

She tensed when Levi took a step out the door. He couldn't actually be planning to use her here, could he? Right on his own doorstep?

Her eyes widened, a squeak issuing from her when he bent down: slipping an arm beneath her legs first before supporting her back with his other arm, picking her up and carrying her past the threshold into the house. The door was kicked shut behind him and she sunk into his grip, still clutching onto her gown and that little slip of paper.

She rocked forward slightly in his arms when he ascended a winding staircase in the corner of the living room, only getting a glance at two couches and a chair situated around a single low table. The rest of the living room was blocked by the polished wood of the second floor, followed by white tiles when he turned swiftly into the bathroom and she soon found her body going cold when she was placed into the tub. Her body heat was quickly soaking into the smooth cool surface when Levi snatched her gown and the paper from her hands without a word.

Krista ducked her head down as he stalked from the room, positive that she wasn't going to get either of the items back. Not that she needed the paper anymore after finding him, but... what was she suppose to wear? Unless he didn't intend for her to wear anything.

She turned her head slightly, just enough to look over her shoulder, just above the lip of the tub to see him toss the gown and paper into a small fire in another room. When he began to turn from the hungry flames Krista faced the wall once again, staring up at a small painting of some far away place. A tall building on the edge of a cliff, facing a vast expanse of water below.

When she heard him enter the room again - listening for the change in sound against wood and tile - she addressed him as she had been taught, "Master?"

Levi dragged a stool from a corner of the room, placing it next to the tub before sitting down. "Don't call me that."

Krista blinked, finding herself on the verge of asking why not, but stopped herself in time. Instead she asked a different question, the most important now that he was her master and she had to call him _something_. "What do you _want_ me to call you?"

He let out a sigh while leaning over her to turn on the water, causing her to jump when it practically seared her left thigh. "Just Levi." He adjusted the temperature after a moment, placing his hand beneath the tap to check it before adjusting the flow so it would fill the tub quicker.

She was silent for a second as the warm water began to rise around her. "Levi," Krista repeated; it sounded weird saying a master's name rather than the usual master, sir, or madam she was accustomed to. "May I ask what I'm going to wear after my bath?"

"You already have."

Krista slid down the wall of the tub until her chin brushed the surface of the rippling water. "I'm sorry," she murmured, hoping he wasn't going to beat her afterwards for speaking out of turn.

She could feel his gaze on her and raised her own eyes when she saw movement at the top of her vision. He was leaning over the lip of the tub again, but his hand was inches from her face and in the next second his fingers were pressing against her cheek. The same one Vossler had sliced open earlier that morning.

He withdrew his hand a moment later, blood smeared over the tips of his fingers. Levi got up from the stool, walking over to the washbasin and grabbing a small dark green towel, dipping it into the water before turning back to her. "Sit up."

Krista pushed against the bottom of the tub, sliding her body back up so she was sitting in the bath with her legs extended in front of her. Levi had sat back on the stool after retrieving a bristle brush as well. He pressed the towel against her cheek, occasionally dipping it into the water, staining the water a light pink from the blood that had dried onto her skin. The water around her hand was a slightly darker red as the warm water broke up the dried blood there; Levi still grabbed her hand to wash the rest off before folding the towel, placing the clean side along the inner lip of the tub and telling her to raise her head.

She laid her head back against the folded towel when he moved it behind her head, feeling a bit more comfortable now that she wasn't leaning her head against the hard cold surface of the tub. Krista didn't say a word when he turned the water off and began scrubbing at her skin with the brush. She just moved her body whenever he told her to, however he needed to reach every inch of skin before he finally looked satisfied that not a speck of dirt was on her skin.

After that rough run down with the brush it was certainly the first time she felt so clean in her life. When she glanced down at her body she could tell where he had scrubbed especially hard from the bright red marks the bristles had left on her skin.

But why had he bothered? Vossler had never given her a bath himself, he had left that duty to other slaves after his guests had enjoyed her for a couple hours and she was incapable of doing it herself. Did he plan to user her now that all traces of her previous Master were gone? Besides the bruises of course, fresh and already becoming a sickly yellow that twisted beneath the water.

As the water began to drain when he removed the plug she began to get up to feel a hand pressed against her shoulder in the next second. "Stay there."

"Yes, Mast-Levi." She waited to be yelled at for her mistake, perhaps slapped across the face; but the blow never came. He just walked from the room, not saying a word about it.

Krista listened to his footsteps as he walked around the second floor, waiting for them to head back in her direction, intent on asking why she was still in the tub; Levi was speaking before she could get a chance though when he entered the bathroom, "Lay on your back." Krista scooted forward in the tub so she could do as he had said, legs bent in front of her. "Press your knees together, spread your feet."

She followed his instructions as he sat down on the stool again after moving it, but she couldn't get a good look at what he was doing. Just that he was looking down at something in his hands before turning his gaze to her, checking she was in the exact position he wanted. For whatever reason. She must have gotten it right as he didn't say anything else, just turned from her to hang a moderately sized bag on a hook near the tub, filled out from some liquid inside. There was a tube trailing out from the bottom, letting her see it was just water; still... she wished she knew what he was doing. Why he asked for her to get into this position in the first place. Just what the bag was for.

He was leaning over the tub now, both hands encased in rubber gloves, one holding the end of the tube that had some odd shaped tip attached to it. The tip was flared, wider at the end, smooth and slim where it was connected to the tube, there were little holes along the end, between the flares. It was his empty hand that moved toward her though, the tip of the pointer finger glistening with some clear-like substance.

She tensed when his hand disappeared from view below her knees, feeling the rubber of the glove press against her bare right butt cheek. "Relax," Levi said, just as she felt a cool substance smeared along her anus, the tip of his finger pressing it into her.

Krista whimpered softly when she felt the invasion, but did her best to keep her muscles from tensing up. Just because he hadn't hurt her yet didn't mean he wouldn't.

He pressed more of the substance into her, applying another dab outside before she felt him spread her cheeks with his fingers and saw his other hand descend into the tub. She let out a yelp when the wider tip connected to the tube slid into her, past the first sphincter.

She could hear Levi sigh above her as her mind was mostly focused on the nozzle that was resting inside her now. "I told you to relax. Breathe and the discomfort will fade. Now, don't move."

Her gaze flickered to his arms as she could see them moving, but not his hands, neither of which were pressed against her skin any longer. She took in a breath as she saw his arm twist slightly, eyes settling on the tube as the water began to flow and she found herself tensing up again before she felt that water begin to fill her.

It was an odd sensation, feeling the liquid flow into her bowels, but after the initial seconds went by she relaxed as it wasn't entirely unpleasant. There was a feeling of fullness down there that was starting to expand to other parts of her body now. She could feel her stomach expanding as well and laid still up until she felt a sharp flare of pain in her abdomen, making her gasp aloud.

Suddenly she could feel a hand pressed against her stomach and winced when Levi pressed down after a moment. She winced, hissing softly when the cramp grew worse. "You're being a pain." Levi leaned over after his arm gave a slight twist again, both hands now pressing against her abdomen. His fingers moved over her skin, pressing down at varying angles and moving every once and awhile, massaging the flesh there until she let out a soft sigh. She could no longer feel any pain in her body, just the liquid inside her.


	6. Chapter 6

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 5**

She rubbed her hands over her shoulders, trying to stop the cold that was creeping up her spine as she stared at the small chest that had been placed at the foot of her bed that morning. It had to be the clothes Levi had said he would get her the first day she got here. She hadn't worn much of anything for the past few days and had sat near the fire whenever she had the chance to soak up it's warmth. Not that she had completely minded, at first when Levi said it would take a few days for him to get the items she had thought they had just been words, that he hadn't meant it.

But here they were, hidden in that box and she just stared at it, wondering what was inside. One could tell a lot of what a master expected from them by the clothes they wore. Vossler had only ever given her those thin gowns and nothing else, because she had been entertainment for his guests and the gown had given those guests quick and easy access to what they had wanted from her.

The chest made her uneasy, as not having clothes meant she couldn't tell what her new master wanted from her and now she could learn what that was. She hadn't been able to tell from his commands so far, they were all simple and usually had to do with keeping the house in it's pristine condition while he was out. He was out quite a bit, doing whatever it was he did. And there was no one else in the two-story house; she had checked multiple times. If she were to run...

Krista shook her head, hard. No, he would find her if she ran. That was the only thing she was sure of.

Her fingers dug into her shoulders as a shiver ran through her body. She should just open the chest, see what laid inside so she knew, but she could only wonder if she had made the wrong choice after getting out of the bath on that first day under his service.

 _Krista sat down on the bed with a towel wrapped around her, glancing around the room that Levi - her master - had just said would be hers for the time being. It wasn't like her previous accommodations at all. For starters there was an actual bed, not just a pile of blankets stuffed into a corner, but a_ bed _._

 _The room was larger as well, at least five times the size of the closet space she had lived in at Vossler's. The bed wasn't the only furniture in the room either, there was a vanity placed in a corner of the room, a wash basin next to that; and along the walls were a number of paintings with interchangeable plates beneath them, each identified with a series of numbers and letters. There was a blank space as well where a painting had been hanging, but was now absent, leaving a thin shadow of where it had been, so that painting couldn't had been on the wall for very long before it was taken down again._

 _There wasn't much else in the room: a chair for the vanity, a dresser pressed to the wall, right under an open window._

 _Levi had just walked to that same single window, sliding it closed and putting the lock in place before he even turned towards her. "You're only going to be in here temporarily, you understand. I don't want you touching the dresser or vanity without my permission. You are also not to place a single finger to those paintings or their plates if you wish to stay in this room while I figure out your long-term accommodations."_

 _"Yes, master." The words slipped from her before she could think; her gaze that had been wandering focused back on him in the next instant as she felt a tremor run through her body. "Levi," she corrected quickly._

 _His eyes had narrowed at the word she had used a second ago, but then he walked across the room without a word, grabbing the chair from the vanity and turning it to face her before sitting down. "I can't have you wearing a towel around here and seeing as you only brought that filthy_ thing _with you, you don't have any other clothes at the moment." She had flinched briefly when he called the gown a thing, clearly disgusted by it. "Are there any sort of clothes you usually wear?"_

 _Her shoulders drew in as she had a feeling he wasn't going to like her answer. "Usually what I just arrived in. The only time I wore something different was at that gathering."_

 _Levi let out a snort. "That wasn't any different than what you were wearing when you got here. Cleaner, maybe. Not made of such thin material, but still the same." He let out a sigh then, resting his chin on one upturned palm. "Out of the clothing you have seen, what would you like to wear?"_

 _Krista blinked, unable to make her mouth open for a moment, lips unmoving at his question. He... wanted her to choose? But what if she chose wrong? What if he didn't agree with what she picked? She couldn't even think of anything she would want to wear. All she had worn since Cato took her from the farm and sold her to Vossler were those gowns. Considering how much Levi had hated the thing - since he threw it into the fire - he wouldn't make her wear it again or anything like it, right?_

 _She got her mouth to move then, with her decision made. "I'll wear whatever you want me to wear, Levi."_

 _His head shifted slightly, moving up as he gazed at her, but he didn't say anything for a whole minute. "Okay, then. It'll be a few days before I can get you new clothes, so in the meantime just go into my closet in my room and pick a shirt so you're not completely nude."_

 _Her fingers twitched at her side and she could feel an unfamiliar burn along her cheeks at such a request. "Th-that's not necessary. I'll be fine until you find me new clothes. I don't want to bother you or any routine you have in the morning." She clutched the towel tighter around her, even though it was wet and just made her body grow cold as the seconds ticked by._

 _"Fine. Just don't freeze yourself to dea-"_

A knock on the door jolted her out of the memory, making her head whirl to face the door as she heard Levi's voice coming from the other side, "Get your clothes on if you haven't already and meet me downstairs."

"Y-yes, Levi." With no more excuses and now a limited time she hopped off the bed and moved over to the chest so she was sitting on her knees in front of it. Krista undid the latch, opening the chest to glance inside.

The first thing she saw was a gray jacket laid out ontop the small piles of shirts and what she presumed to be pants. She picked it up, unfolding it to see there were four button-flap pockets, two of which were situated over the breast area, while the last two were beneath them near the waist line. There was a untied belt just above those lower pockets, covering one of the darker gray buttons that would keep the jacket closed.

Krista set it down on the bed before turning her gaze to look at the other items; she needed to choose a few things fast. She didn't want to make her master wait.

She went to grab a plain tan shirt when her gaze fell on a bag that had been placed at the side of the chest. There was a piece of paper jutting out from the lip of the bag, attached by a paper clip. Krista slid the paper out from it's confines, unfolding it to look at the words scrawled on the surface. Her eyes moving back to the bag after a moment and she tugged it out of the small space Levi seemed to have shoved it in before looking back to the note.

 _So I found a few things with the eye-measurements you gave me and I think these should do just fine for your 'friend.' You are going to tell me - us - who she is, right? If not, don't think you can hide any secrets from me, big brother!_

Big brother? Levi hadn't mentioned any family, but he kept to himself in general, just telling her what she needed to do every day before taking off. Today was the only day he didn't seem to be leaving. Since when he woke up before her he would leave a list of things for her to do on her door before taking off.

Krista glanced down to the bag the note had been attached to, wondering what was inside she pulled it open and then emptied the contents of the bag onto the top of the chest. Her cheeks burned as she looked down at the contents.

She didn't remember panties being so elaborate or revealing when she had worn them so many years ago. Before she called anyone master. Krista prodded the soft white one on top: all frilly lace with a floral design along with many revealing elements, with the see-through fabric and gaps in the fabric because of the design. With a small blue blow on top, with the more intimate part of it covered with a darker blue fabric that she didn't find nearly as the white bits. It had it's own flowers drawn on top in a light tan, little white dots covering the dark blue fabric of it.

There were two others beneath that one in similar styles. One a blue out line with a vanilla-like color center piece and the other holding a gray lace outline with a black center. Each had a bow with that center color on the top.

Next to the panties were a set of bras, she remembered seeing them a couple times before in Breshka's room, the older slave telling her they were suppose to support the breasts and not make one's nipples as noticeable when wearing something on top of it. Breshka had also noted - when she had asked - that Vossler would never allow her to wear such things in his presence or any of his guests. Levi must have though, since even though he had crammed the items into the box he hadn't removed them from the bag.

She gripped one by the strap, raising it up to look at the blue lace that started at the curve of one of the cups before reaching out and around to the back where the straps met the bra again. Krista slid a finger over the clasps on the back, pushing at it a few times at different angles before one of the hooks finally slid out of place. Having fought with the article of clothing enough at the moment and reminding herself that her master was waiting for her Krista set it aside and grabbed the first pair of panties, sliding them up her legs before reaching inside the chest for a dark blue pair of pants and slid them on shortly after.

It was then that she turned back to the bra, pressing at the clasps again until the last two came free and she slid the straps over her arms, the cup of the bra covering her breasts, but there was slack in it. Krista brushed her hair over one shoulder, reaching back to grab where the two ends that clasped the bra together, pulling them inward against her back.

She was attempting to slide those three little hooks into place when Levi's voice sounded outside her door once again, "Krista?"

For a moment she froze, the clasped ends sliding from her hands as she stared at the door. "S-sorry." Her hands flailed behind her as she tried to find the fabric with her hands. "I'll be out in a moment-I-eh?" She had just managed to grab one of the ends, but when she tried to draw it up it was twisted, one of the hooks felt attached to something and she froze when she felt the fabric in her hands stretch when she tried to tug it up.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-" she had begun to say no before snapping her mouth shut. Vossler had hit her for hours in the early days that she had lied to him and she didn't know what Levi would do if she happened to lie, even if it was just a slip up. "I-"

The door opened before she could get another word out, Levi stepping into the room and she felt her entire body freeze as his gaze slid over her for a moment. Before his gaze rested on her back and she felt her cheeks warm when he crossed the distance over to her. "Stay still for a second." He removed her hand from around the lace and though she couldn't see what he was doing she could feel the clasps slide into place over her spine, the fabric no longer twisted just a few seconds later. "There."

Even with the bra now on properly she didn't move until his finger moved from her spine, no longer pressed against her skin.

"Thank you, Levi." Krista said, leaning forward to grab the first shirt on the pile and tug it on over her head, sliding her arms through the sleeves, to pull the fabric down over stomach. She grabbed the jacket next as a cold tremor ran through her body, putting it on and closing the buttons, then tying the belt.

"Have you never worn one of those before?"

She paused, glancing over her shoulder at him, to see his gaze still centered on her back, her spine; before meeting her eyes. "No." She could feel her cheeks warm, shoulders slumping forward. "Vossler wouldn't allow it."

A pair of fingers moved her hair back over her shoulder and for a moment she found herself leaning into his touch, until it was gone in the next second. "Come on," Levi spoke just as she heard a loud knock from down the stairs.

Krista followed him down the stairs, keeping a few paces back when he went to open the door. After just unlocking it and turning the knob though, Levi stepped aside as the door swung inward followed by a blaze of dark red that plowed into her moments later.

She stumbled back, only not ending up on the floor from the pair of arms that had wrapped around her, keeping her up. Her gaze refocused to see a woman standing in front of her, bright green eyes sparkling as she laughed. "I knew it!" Beyond the woman she could see another man step into the house, much more calmly than their companion.

"In case you didn't notice, you still haven't successfully tackled Levi."

"I wasn't aiming for him, this time." The woman replied, grinning over their shoulder at the man, before turning back to Krista. "What did you think of the clothes I picked out?"

Krista blinked, glancing to Levi, still trying to get a hold on the situation and wondering just who this woman was, along with the man that was now closing the front door. "Any items you found in that bag," Levi clarified upon meeting her gaze. "Of course," his gaze turned to the other woman as he began speaking, "I won't make the mistake of asking for your help on that matter again."

"Eh?" The woman turned, one arm dropping from around Krista to press against her hip in response to his words. "I was just helping you out since you refused to go into those shops yourself. Besides you asked for my help, remember?"

Levi's gaze moved from the woman as he walked over to the couch to to sit down, arm laying across the back when he spoke without looking at her. "Yes, I asked for your help in finding something _suitable_ , Isabel. Not something improper."

"Hmph." Isabel pinched her lips together standing up straighter, just before sticking her tongue out like a young child. Krista could feel the remaining arm around her slip around to seize her arm then. "You men stay here, me and my friend here are going to have some 'girl time.'" In the next instant she could feel herself tugged forward, to follow this woman - Isabel - into the kitchen.

"Do what you want. We won't wait up."

She could hear the other man question from within the living room to Levi, "What did Isabel do?"

Just before Isabel let go of her arm to jump back and sit on top the counter. "So what did you think about them?"

Krista took a moment to focus on the question after everything has begun moving so quickly. With it finally calming down a bit, she realized Isabel had to be asking about the clothes again, from the bag with that note. The ones with the lace and revealing fabric. "They were... ummm," she bit her lip, unsure what to say about them. About what this woman wanted to hear. "N-nice?" Why couldn't Levi be here to assist her? Usually no one asked for her opinion because they didn't want it so she had no idea if her answer would be a good one or not.

Isabel's legs stop swinging in front of her momentarily as she leans forward to look at Krista, causing her to take a step back. "Just nice? I looked specifically for that type, you know. Not every shop has those neat floral designs, some places absolutely fail at it. And don't get me started on the grade of material some of them use; if it's not the right kind it can be quite irritable-"

Krista inclined her head slightly as Isabel went on about the shops. Evidently just a 'nice' wasn't going to do it. She needed to give a bigger compliment, something more fitting for the effort. Though, she hadn't expected what she found in that bag, she was grateful for the attempt and if what she was saying was true about the materials and everything else... "I..." Krista paused to think for a moment, choose her words, noting that Isabel had stopped talking the moment she had said that single word. "I thought they were cute, just... unexpected."

"Isabel, get out here," a voice called from the living room.

In the moment of calmness Krista let out a sigh upon seeing the smile on Isabel's face, before the world was moving too quickly for her to keep up again.

Isabel had launched herself off the counter to grip her arm once again, maneuvering Krista into the living room behind her, as she started speaking the moment she had crossed the threshold. "I don't know what you're complaining about, Levi. Your friend here said the items were _cute_ , not revealing."

Levi didn't reply to the comment, just continued to stare across the room in silence as if Isabel hadn't spoken at all. Krista tried to dig her heels into the carpet so she wasn't dragged along, further into the room, but only succeeded in stumbling after Isabel.

The other man spoke up however and she recognized his voice as the one that had initially called for Isabel. "You're making Krista uncomfortable, Isabel. She's not a dog, let her go."

Isabel scowled at the man in response but let Krista go as she stalked over to him. "You know, it's rude to refer to someone as a dog, Farlan."

"I guess that makes you a mutt, then." Farlan ducked beneath Isabel's punch, chuckling as the woman sat down on the chair next to his with her lips forming a pout.

Krista found her gaze moving to Levi after the two had settled down and moved over to sit on the couch next to him, since he hadn't told her to leave and had told her to follow him down the stairs she could only guess that she couldn't just leave like she wanted to. She drew her legs up onto the couch after sitting, causing her to lean against him slightly in the process. The brush of fabric only made her racing heart calm, as she was sure at this point that at least he wasn't going to use her as entertainment for his guests like Vossler had. Though, his guests were odd compared to Vossler's, she didn't quite know what to make of them.

She met Levi's gaze for a second, feeling a pair of fingers press against her elbow a moment later. "So," Isabel's voice made her look away quickly, gaze focusing back on the two guests sitting across from them. "Are we going to prepare for the next big heist or what?"

Farlan sighed, pushing his hand to his forehead. "Keep your voice down."

Isabel frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "What is up with you and Levi, today? Your both being mean. Big brother is even giving me the accursed silent treatment."

"Isabel," the woman perked up the moment Levi spoke to her. "Would you mind showing Krista how to put a bra on before leaving?'

Krista felt her cheeks burn at those words. Had he really just said that so openly? If it was just in front of Isabel maybe she wouldn't mind as much, but Farlan was in the room as well. She didn't really need multiple people knowing that she didn't know how to put on a simple article of clothing did she? Or was it because she should know that at her age - but didn't - that she found Levi's words so embarrassing?

"If it's okay with you, that is."

She blinked, not sure how to take all these questions and confirmations of her own opinion throughout the last few days. "That's fine," Krista muttered, glancing to the coffee table in-between the four of them to avoid meeting the gaze of any of them.

"When did you acquire a slave anyway, Levi?" Farlan asked.

"Eh?" She could hear the surprise clear as day in Isabel's voice. "Is that why she needs help with a bra?"

"Yes," Levi answered for her. "Her old master lost her in a poker game. He ran out of money to bet and put her contract in the pot and I won that round, so she's mine now." She could feel those fingers on her elbow move along the few inches that she could only guess wasn't in view of the others.

"You could have asked for cash afterwards instead. Why didn't you-"

"Krista, go make some tea for me and my guests." She jumped slightly at the sudden command, but got to her feet quickly. "And find some food to serve with it as well."

"Yes, Levi." she said quickly before taking off for the kitchen, glad to be out of the living room for the time being.


	7. Chapter 7

**I Must Be Crazy For Dreaming Of You (Or Someone Like You) - 6**

 **Warnings for potentially triggering content. aka: paranoia, attempted suicide, and a psychotic episode.**

 **...enjoy?**

Krista leans over the tub, turning the water on with a twist of her wrist. After a moment she places her hand beneath the tap, feeling the warm water before stepping away, allowing it to start to fill the tub.

The sound of the rushing water makes it impossible for her to hear the words coming from the ground floor, though she had been able to hear Farlan and Isabel saying their goodbyes just a little while ago. So Levi would probably be coming up the stairs soon enough after having told her to start the bath for him just a few minutes ago.

It had taken awhile for him to push Isabel out the door though, and not wanting the water to be cold by the time his friends were actually out of the house she had waited until she heard a distinct shout from below, _"Hey, you don't have to throw me out big brother! I did you two favors today, be nice to me!"_

 _"You did me_ one _favor, Isabel. Don't pretend that you weren't scheming and being invasive just hours ago."_

 _"Well, it's not my fault you didn't say who exactly those clothes were for-"_

 _"Drop it, Isabel." Farlan had interrupted and drawn the conversation away from the current subject to an actual goodbye._

Though, she got the sense this was how their meetings usually went.

She had decided that despite how odd the two were - not acting at all like the sort of folk she would traditionally deal with in Vossler's care - she wouldn't mind when they dropped by again. As long as Isabel didn't insist on tugging her around like she had when that door had first opened.

That had been a bit much, even for her. At least it had been a woman though, and not a man, since looking back on it now she might have screamed if the latter was the case. And that wouldn't have made for a very good first impression with her new master's friends.

Besides, she finally knew how to put a bra on as well. Isabel had taken her up the stairs into her room to show her about half a dozen ways to do it properly after talking with Levi and Farlan for the first couple hours, drinking tea and eating snack foods. That had only taken about twenty minutes - Isabel had been thorough with her instructions - before she was joining Levi and Farlan back downstairs, back to talking about an upcoming job and working out the last few details.

None of which Krista knew. She had made it a point to be anywhere in the house but the living room, since Levi hadn't ordered her to stay in the room after delivering their drinks and food. In fact, he had been so wrapped up in the conversation that when she had to pass through the room and noticed their cups were empty he hadn't seemed to notice her go and grab them from the table. Not even when she had come back from the kitchen with the refilled cups and set them down on the table.

She could only hope that hadn't been a major mistake on her part; not noticing the cups were empty before that. But Vossler had made sure she used different routes in his own house, to keep her from stumbling on his meetings with his visitors when a party and the entertainment - her - weren't going on.

There were no alternative routes that she could put to use here though. The structure of the house was straight forward: there were no hallways wrapping around the entire premise, connecting with every sector of the house, only closed off with a lock to tell slaves to keep out. This house wasn't as large by any stretch of the imagination, but it felt like it was; because she wasn't restricted from entering any room. Levi himself had said he didn't give a rat's smelly ass if she went into his room whether he was there or not, as long as she didn't go about touching what he had specifically told her not to mess with.

The rules here appeared much more lax - as far as she could tell. It made her fingers twitch every time she went off to do something. Just because she hadn't been punished yet didn't mean it wouldn't eventually happen. As far as she knew Levi could be planning something horrific for her future, more so than Vossler and his parties.

She knew the sort of person Vossler was, Krista had been able to tell when he was angry, had known how to stay out of his way at those times. She hadn't even known Levi for two whole weeks; much less what could turn him into a monster, to become like all those other men she had known growing up under Vossler's care.

He had her contract, sure, but was that the best option? Vossler had mentioned that her new owner could be worse than him, a possibility that wouldn't leave her alone. Besides, _why_ had he kept the contract? Farlan had pointed it out hours ago; that Levi could have asked for cash when Vossler got back home. Hell, Vossler had _tried_ to give him everything besides her, but Levi hadn't relinquished the contract. She didn't know what had been offered, but she was sure it would have been more beneficial to him than a new slave. His only slave.

Before that night Vossler had made it clear that he would be keeping her for the rest of her life. He had made it clear that her whole life would be spent in hell, that no praying to the gods would change that. Ever.

Levi must want something from her, just like Vossler had. She just had to figure out what that was before he acted on whatever that need was. Blood, screams, pain; it could be any number of things and with each thought she feel her blood going cold.

"Are you trying to flood the bathroom?" Krista blinked, torn out of her thoughts at the sound of her master's voice. "Turn the water off."

"Y-yes." She turned quickly from the basin, no longer dusting the metal legs to hurry over to the tub, stopping the flow of water just three inches below the lowest lip of the tub. "Sorry, master."

"Levi," he corrected an instant later and she very nearly jumped three feet in the air at hearing him speak. Since the first day he hadn't mentioned the times she would slip up. So why... was he angry with her?

She had messed up, hadn't she? Not with the tub, but with something else. She must have for Levi to be using that tone of voice.

At the sound of the door closing her heart leaped straight into her throat; her foot edging back when the sound of Levi's boots filled her ears. When he stopped a foot away from her, placing a finger in the water, she could feel her heart slither back down her throat; the air leaving her body as she allowed herself to breathe once again.

When Levi straightened up, pulling at the hem of his shirt a moment later Krista turned quickly so she was facing away from the tub, walking forward until she was standing in front of a cabinet and opened the door. She begins looking over its contents, adjusting them so everything was view-able at a glance as she heard Levi discard the rest of his clothes from behind her; and then the lapping of the water in the tub when he got in.

Even with him in the tub her body remains tense. He had closed the door, and beyond telling her to run the bath he hadn't given her any other orders. Did he expect her to stay here while he took his bath? Was there something she was suppose to be doing? Like...

"What did Vossler do to you?"

Her mind ground to a halt at his words for a second time in less than three minutes. "Wha-what?" She turned slowly to glance at him, to see his gaze on her.

Had he really just asked her that? What Vossler did to her...

She could feel the blood drain from her face as the memories of all those years spent with him flooded her mind at once. What he did to her... What he did to her... What hadn't he done to her? Everything. He must have. It had felt like everything, but it clearly wasn't if she was originally suppose to stay with him.

To stay in that place and be used by his guests like _that_. Again and again, until she couldn't move. Until she could no longer give her five-star performance, and then... and then...

"Hah." As she drew in a breath a tremor ran through her body. Her knees trembled, threatening collapse beneath her, to send her falling to the ground. If only she could find something to hold so she wouldn't fall; something, _anything_. Her fingers twitched, nails scraping at her cheeks in the process, though she didn't remember raising her hands in the first place.

She did remember all those other hands though: clammy and smelling of sweat, semen. They kept grabbing and twisting at her body, covering her with their own. Pushing a finger into her mouth and telling her to _suck_.

For practice, they would say. For when you're older.

The same words Vossler would whisper to her when Cain had bound her hands behind her back, and then...

 _"I can't. It's not possible. Please. Please, Master. STOP! Please, please, please, please, please, please..."_

"Please..." Who was that? "I can't." Was that... her? "Please, master."

Her fingers were trembling, her arms shaking harder than a leaf; and yet... She could feel a hand wrapped around her wrist, squeezing, getting tighter by the second. Another hand holding that same arm just above the elbow in a similar death grip.

"Krista," a voice shatters the words in her mind and she can feel her own lips stop moving. She blinks once, twice; and then she screams.

Vossler is standing before her, lips twisted up into a grin that seems to say, _I've found you_.

She tries to tug her hand out of his grip, but now his fingers slide up, clasping around the bottom of her hand while keeping it in the air between them. "No! Let go! Let go of me!" With another tug she yelps at the pressure that is created along the points of her arm where he holds her, laughing as she continues to struggle. Always laughing.

There are tears stinging at her eyes and she squeezes them shut, breathing heavily as she continues to pull with her arm, whimpering now as pain lances up and down her forearm.

"Krista!" Her eyes snap open at hearing _him_ shout. "Drop the razor blade now!" Levi snaps, still maintaining a tight grip on her arm.

She blinks, her arm going limp for a moment. "Levi?" _Master?_

 _"What did Vossler do to you?"_

That had been the question, hadn't it? But... he had to know. How could he not? With how often Vossler had those parties, always inviting people to come over and test one of his toys. _He_ had been at that gathering.

He had beaten her last master at a game, while he was drunk, knowing this, and... He had closed the door, undressed while she was here... He was going to use her. Just like all the others had done.

Her lips twist down, a snarl issuing from her mouth. "I won't. I won't do it! You can't make me!" She lashed out with the razor blade in hand, the pull on her arm from before just making it easier to jab it forward, at him; her master. "Stay away from me!"

He steps back quickly though, out of range and twisting his body away from her hand, having let go of her arm in the process he raises his own hands; as if to say he didn't have a weapon. But she knows differently. She knows he has the same weapon as the rest of them. "Krista-"

"I won't let you use me!" she shouts, launching herself forward at him.

His hands are the first thing she's aware of: bare, open, and now wrapped firmly around her own hand, prying at her fingers even as her body slams into his. The world tilts for a second, then she's falling; they're both falling. His hands clasp around her own now, his knee is digging into her stomach, turning her body so it goes flying over the lip of the tub.

But below her she sees a flash of pain register in his eyes as his body takes the brunt of the impact. The still hot water strings her eyes as it splashes onto the floor, walls, the ceiling. Her heart is beating fast when it travels up her nose as well, causing her to cough, grip loosening on the blade for only a _second_.

Krista screams when she feels the metal dig into her skin, slicing her palm open when it goes flying across the room to embed itself into the wall. "No!" she thrashes in the tub, sending more water over the lip. "You can't!" Her clothes are sticking to her skin, dragging in what water remains as she tries to get her limbs to move. But his leg is already locked around her waist, his arms pinning her own to her sides once they're wrapped around her upper body, keeping her body pressed right against his own. Then his other leg slips along the back of her knees, applying just enough pressure to keep her from being able to move her legs.

Even so she squirms in his iron hold, cheek pressed against his chest so she can hear his own heart begin to slow, beating at a more regular pace. It just makes her own quicken, eyes widening even though she's sure it would be impossible to take her clothes off in such a position.

"Don't. Please," her voice comes out in a whine as her limbs go limp, unable to break free. "Levi, _please_."

"Calm down. I'm not going to rape you. Just... stop moving for two seconds and let me see your hand," his voice sounds different when he speaks, softer, something she hasn't heard before.

But he gave her an order and she nods slowly against his chest, raising her left hand from her side when his grip loosens just enough for it to slip through. His own hand raises above the lip of the tub, fingers tugging a loose towel from the stand nearby and she watches as he wraps the white cloth around her hand, pressing down to stop the bleeding.

Her heart beat begins to slow as she listens to his rhythmic breathing above her. She repeats the words he just said in her head again and frowns. It didn't make any sense. "Rape?" she murmurs against his damp skin. "What's rape?"

His fingers that had been keeping the cloth pressed to her hand gave a sudden twitch, and the cloth fell to the thin layer of water below.

She tried to duck her head down, but it was impossible with her current position. So instead she just mutters, "Sorry." He had requested that she calmed down before, so she shouldn't have spoken in the first place.

"Don't." His hand shifts up her body, fingers threading through her hair to press against her head. "Don't apologize for what they did to you."

"Did?" she repeats, still not understanding, but she feels a wave of relief run through her body. He's not mad at her.

 **I'm taking a mental break. Feel free to join me.**


End file.
